Pipe as a baffle?

[Winbro]

If anyone thinks they can help with this question, please do. I have 36" pipe 72" long, and 24" pipe that I want to cut in lets say half, to get the throat dimensions for the baffle plate. Is there anything wrong with using pipe as a baffle plate? Will it cook faster closer to the top of the 24" or center of the CC or should I invest in some plate?

I wanted to make a continuous piece of 24" pipe as a firebox and baffle and just slide it into the 34" CC but calculations say my firebox would have to be 4' long and I think that would look horrible. So I think I'll make the FB 34"x 24" long but would still like to use the 24" as a baffle plate.

Concerns?

[Big T]

I would go with a flat plate because one of the main benefits of a RF is the radiant heat from the BP and you won't get that from a pipe. The flat BP also collects the grease during a cook and most of it burns off from the heat of the BP which makes clean up pretty simple.

[Dirtytires]

Ditto....flat plate is much better. It will produce more even temperatures, better flavors and be much easier to clean as well.

[Winbro]

So is the throat only the outlet of the FB then? You raise the baffle plate up to 2"-5" from the cook grating and compensate the throat area from the back wall to match your throat opening at the Firebox? Seems like most of the heat would be down the middle anyway unless you direct it a bit out the opening of the throat.

[Dirtytires]

I think a diagram would be helpful at this point. I’m not sure how to answer your question as I don’t know what your reference points are.

On a flat baffle plate, the heat will do a really good job of spreading out pretty evenly. Keep it mind, it is not used directly but rather allows a nice radiant heat to help cook meat from below.

[Winbro]

Not sure how to upload pics, but... I need to cut the baffle plate, and it will be above the firebox opening, do I just measure it from where my cooking grate is going to be say 5" below? And on the far side from the firebox, its just the same area as the firebox opening for a space?

[Big T]

Yes you can measure down from your bottom rack and install your BP 2''-6'' below the bottom rack. Install the BP level from front to back and side to side. Install a 2'' grease dam at the BP gap to keep everything on the BP and not under it. Most guys install a 2'' drain on the BP so it can be drained during a cook if necessary or while cleaning it. The gap on the BP is the same size as the Throat or up to 75% smaller, I make mine the same as the Throat and haven't had any issues but a lot of guys makes theirs adjustable and find the perfect ''tune'' for their pit.

[Winbro]

Thanks for the help. I have everything cut now except the baffle plate. The pipe is over 1/2" thick and the baffle plate is more like 1/4", maybe 3/8". Is there an optimal height? I know it will take a bit more time to heat up the cook chamber but should retain the heat as well.

[Tom_Heath]

The pipe for a baffle has me thinking.

Will it work? Not sure.

The grease damm would be very different.

It would need two grease drains.

Will it save material possibly.? Maybe.


I feel like I want to do some testing.

[Big T]

When I first heard of a reverse flow smoker about 7 or 8 years ago I turned to youtube for some basic information. There was a guy that had several videos of his builds and they all used a pipe instead of a baffle plate and he swore by it. I had made up my mind that I was going to base my build off of his and then by pure luck I stumbled across the SB forums and the rest is history. I've always believed that you could make pretty much anything work but sometimes it just isn't worth the headache.